Touching God: Dementia and the Bodies of Christ course
The dread of dementia has a unique hold over us, because dementia seems to eat away at what makes us human. If we lose our capacity to remember, to think, to act and even to speak, what is left of us? And where is the God who promised to be with us? These are profound theological questions that go beyond a need for better pastoral care or more welcoming churches: they hold up a mirror to what we really believe about human beings, about God and about dementia itself.
This workshop develops some themes in the leader’s recently-published book, Touching God. Its purpose is to explore what the experience of dementia has to teach us, by reflecting theologically on the faith journey of people who live with the condition. It is a personal theological pilgrimage, digging down into the theological meaning of dementia itself, looking for hidden pearls of insight. But it is also an attempt to look past the details, to see the “big picture” of God’s grace and faithfulness, embodied in the person and life of the crucified and risen Christ. It will speak not just to people who are challenged or troubled by dementia, but to anybody seeking to grapple with their faith in challenging times.
About the tutor
Dr Peter Kevern is Professor of Values in Health and Social Care at the University of Staffordshire, a theologian and a Catholic. Starting at about the time of his own mother’s death with dementia, he has been thinking and writing about the relationship between dementia and faith for the last 20 years. He has recently published a book, Touching God: Dementia and the Bodies of Christ, on which this workshop is based. In general, his research and writing centres on the interface between religion and social care, particularly in relation to ageing, chaplaincy and public policy.
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